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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. W. STRUSS. ROTARY BRAIDING MACHINE.

No. 479,474. Patented July 26, 1892.

WITNESSES.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. W. STRUSS.

' ROTARY BRAIDING MACHINE.

No. 479,474. PatentedJuly 26, 1892 win, @JQW r i y m 9% @NQ 1 M 6'AJLATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. W. STRUSS.

, ROTARY BRAIDING MACHINE. No. 479,474. Patented July 26, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. STRUSS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MARIE F. STRUSS,

OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY BRAlDlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,474, dated July 26,1892.

Application filed September 25, 1891- Serial No.406,800. (No model) Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. STRUss, a resident of the city of New York,in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improved RotaryBraiding-Machine, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in whichFigure 1 is a plan or top view of my improved rotary braiding-machine.Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on the line 2 2, Fig. 3, partof the matter shown below the sectionline being broken away. Fig. 3 is avertical section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a top view, and Fig.5 a side view, of a modification of the invention; and Fig. 6 is adetail vertical section of one of the upper spool-carriers.

This invention relates to improvements in machinery for making ordinaryor woven braid.

In braiding-machines of the general class to which my invention relatesas heretofore made two sets of spool-carriers were moved overinterlocking tracks in opposite directions. The apparatus necessary forcarrying this about required the spools to be all carried above thetrack-plates that gave direction to the carriers and necessitated theemployment of numerous and slow-moving gears. According to my invention,one set of spools moves on a rotating carrier around a common axis,while the other set of spools moves transversely across the track of thefirst-named carriers, but is not rotated around the same axis. Onepractical advantage of this arrangement is that it enables me to placeone set of spools above and the other set of spools below the cam-plateor track-plate.

Other advantages which are not self-evident to the skilled mechanic willbe hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, the letterA represents the central stem orsupport of the rotary cam-plate or track-plate of my ma chine. Thisrotary track-plate or cam-plate is shown at B. It is supported by thepost A, as indicated in Fig. 3, and gears into a toothed wheel a on amain driving-shaft D, which driving-shaft can either be rotated by handor by machinery, Fig. 3 indicating a machinedriven shaft E, which can bethrown into gear with the shaft D when required; but other means forrevolving the track-plate may be devised. The track-plate has a groovedsurface-that is to say, it-has two interlocking undulating grooves b and01 cut into its surface, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2, theseinterlocking grooves being one set of instrumentalities for givingdirection to the upper set of spools. Practically these grooves b and dare slots that are cut through the plate B, but which are closed on thelower side by a ring or plate e, which is riveted to the plate B proper.By means of rods f, that project downward from the plate B, a lower ringor plate B is suspended from it. The lower set of spoolsF (of which oneonly is shown in Fig. 3, but of which the operative machine wouldcontain quite a number) is hung onto spindles g, that extend from theplate B toward the plate B, so that as the plate B is rotated thesespools F will be carried around the axis of the plate B. For each spoolF a hollow thread-guide h projects upward from the plate B, receiving inits tubular bore the thread from the corresponding spool F anddelivering it onto the take-up mechanism, to which I will hereinaftermore fully refer.

Above the cam-plate B is rigidly supported on stationary posts 2' and onthe central post A a plate G, which is but a short distance above B, asindicated in Fig. 3, and which contains an annular slot j, (see Fig. 2,)through which annular slot the vertical threadguides h, heretoforementioned, extend, so that as the plate B is rotated it will beperfectly free because of the presence of this annular slot j to permitthe thread guides h to revolve around the axis of the plate B.

As far as I have now described this machine, it demonstrates the factthat the lower set of spools F, which are supported beneath the rotatingcam-plate B, will be revolved around the axis of the said cam-plate andwill deliver to the takeup apparatus their respective threads throughupwardly-proj ecting threadguides h, which also and solely revolvearound the axis of said cam-plate B.

I will now describe the action of the later ally-moving upper set ofspools and threadguides, and for this purpose invite attention primarilyto Fig. 6 of the drawings in connection with Fig. 2. From these figuresit will appear that the grooves 12 cl alternately carry blocks l, intoeach of which enters an upright pin m, that projects downwardly from ablock a, which block at is received in one of a series of transverseslots 0, which are cut into the plate Gso as to traverse the annularslot j. These transverse slots oiare either curved, as in Fig. 2, orstraight, as in the modification shown in Fig. 4. Now as the plate 13 isrevolved in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 each compoundblock Z m 'n will be made to move transversely from one end of a slot 0to the other, because the lower block Z, which is swiveled by the pin onto the upper block at, will in its groove 1) (or (Z, as the case may be)be crowded first outwardly and afterward again inwardly, and so on,owing to the undulations of the said groove 1), (or d, as the case maybe.) The upper surface of the block it is utilized as a carrier for anupwardly-projecting spindle 12 which receives the upper spool H, and foran upper thread-guide p, as indicated in Fig. 2, so that as the machineoperates in the manner already stated each upper spool H will betraversed along the line of the transverse slot 0, being moved back andforth, while meanwhile the lower spools F will be rotated around theaxis of the camplate 13. The threads from all these different spools arefinally delivered in the take-up mechanism, of which I will only give ageneral explanation. In this take-up mechanism is contained an annularwheel I, which re ceives rotary motion from the spindle J, which isgeared with the shaft D. The annular wheel I is fitted around astationary hub L, which is also annular, as indicated in Fig. 3, andwhich contains internal gearing 0', into which meshes a pinion s, thatis hung in a projection of the rotating wheel I, this pinion carrying aworm t, that meshes into a wormwheel to on a shaft M, (see Fig. 1,)which shaft carries a wheel 1). The rotating wheel I also carries inposts 10 the final receiving-reel N, which is connected with the shaft Mby a belt m (shown in Fig. 3) or by other means. The rotary annularwheel I also carries (see Fig. 1) a plate 0, in which there is a slot 1directly beneath a little anti-friction roller ,2, which is carried bysuitable brackets that project from the annular rotating wheel I. Thethreads from the different spools F and II are passed through the slot yover the anti-friction roller 2, around the pulley '1), and are thenfinally taken up by the reel N. When using the straight traversing slots0, as in Figs. 4 and 5, I prefer to tilt'the carrier n by causing it tostrike stationary pins 0, at the ends of its respective strokes, so asthereby to impart to the spool II a greater degree of traversing motionthan to the carrier itself. This will be evident from an inspection ofFig. 4. Now it will be clear if it is remembered that in anordinarybraiding-machinein which two sets of carriers are moved inopposite directions through interlocking undulating tracks the take-upis stationary and that thereafter in my improved machine, in which onlyone set of spools is rotated around the axis of the cam-plate, (theother being merely reciprocated back and forth,) the take-up mechanismin order to produce ordinary braiding must be revolved at half the speedat which the cam-plate is revolved. Hence I have so arranged the gearing which transmits motion from the shaft D to the annular wheel I thatthe said annular wheel I will revolve at half the speed of the cam-plateB, all of which will appear from an inspection of the relative gearingsshown in Fig. 3. By this proportioning of the mechanism for rotatingthese parts I obtain ordinary braiding; but if the take-up should remainstationary, or if it should revolve as fast as the cam-plate B, then mymachine will produce what is known as braided weaving. For either ofthese functions, therefore, my machine is fully adapted. It isimmaterial to the function of my machine whether the number of spools Fcorresponds to or is greater or less than the number of spools I l;immaterial, also, whether the number of cross-slots 0 is the same as thenumber of intersections .of the grooves b d. It will be seen that byquantity of product, particularly since the lower bobbins or spools Fcan be very much larger in capacity than the upper bobbins II.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the cam-plate Band mechanism, substantially asdescribed, for rotating the same, said cam-plate having interlockingundulating grooves 1) cl, with the stationary plate G, having annularslot j and cross slots 0, and with means for holding spools F suspendedbelow the cam -p1ate, th read-guides h, projecting from the cam-platethrough the annular slot j, and with the swiveled carriers Z on 71,whose lower portions are fitted into the grooves b d, while their upperportions enter the traversing slots 0, and with thread-guides 10, allarranged for operation substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination of the stationary plate Gr, having annular slotj andcross-slots 0, with the rotating cam-plate B, having intersectingundulating grooves 17 d, and with spool-car riers held in said groovesand cross-slots, and

lower spool-carriers 9, all arranged for operation substantially asherein shown and described.

3. The combination of the cam-plate B, ar-

5 ranged to receive upwardly-projecting spools H anddownwardly-projecting spools F on its opposite sides, with mechanism fortraversing one set of spools and rotating the other set of spools aroundthe axis of said cam-plate, substantially as herein shown and described.IO

HENRY W. STRUSS. Witnesses:

CHAS. LYON RUssELL, HARRY M. TURK.

